More services to be delivered at Summerfield Primary Care thanks to Government funding

Summerfield Primary Care Centre in Edgbaston is set for a major upgrade after being awarded government funding as part of a nationwide investment in healthcare. The Chancellor will confirm in today’s Budget (Tuesday 25 November) that hundreds of new Neighbourhood Health Centres will be created to deliver care closer to people’s homes.

Summerfield Primary Care Centre is among the 250 health centres being transformed into ‘one-stop shops’, bringing GPs, nurses, dentists and pharmacists together under one roof to better meet community needs.

The centres will be part of a new Neighbourhood Health Service that will provide end-to-end care and tailored support - improving access to GPs, helping to prevent complications and avoid the frustration of being passed around the system.

At the Budget today the Chancellor will set out how the government will take the fair choices to deliver on the country’s priorities to cut NHS waiting times, cut debt and cut the cost of living.

As the Neighbourhood Health Service moves more outpatient care out of hospitals, these centres will provide space for clinics in communities across the country – bringing an end to the postcode lottery of access to healthcare.

Patients will get treatment minutes from home instead of travelling miles to often hard to reach hospitals, so the NHS is organised around patients’ needs - rather than patients organising their lives around the NHS.

Neighbourhood health services will initially focus on improving access to general practice and supporting people with complex needs and long-term conditions - like diabetes and heart failure - in the areas of the highest deprivation. As the programme grows, it will expand to support other patients and priority cohorts.

Preet Kaur Gill MP for Edgbaston commented: “I am delighted that Summerfield Primary Care Centre will receive funding for a major upgrade. This investment is exactly what this Government promised, a neighbourhood NHS that fits around your life, not the other way around.

Access to healthcare shouldn’t be a struggle. It’s vital to me that my constituents can get the care they need easily, in their community, with services that are joined up and responsive to their needs. This funding will help make that vision a reality.”

At the Budget, Rachel Reeves is also set to turbocharge the drive to get waiting lists down by funnelling millions of pounds into upgrading technology in the health system – improving productivity so nurses and doctors can focus on caring for patients and speeding up how quickly patients are treated.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said: "At the Budget this week I’ll set out how we’ll deliver on the country’s priorities to cut NHS waiting times, cut debt and cut the cost of living.

 “We’re driving down waiting lists by bringing healthcare to patients' doorsteps and turbocharging NHS productivity with cutting-edge technology.

“Our record investment, combined with ruthless efficiency and reform, will deliver the better care and better outcomes our NHS patients deserve.”